This. is. hard

The week is half over. Which is heavenly because it has been a trying week. 

I hope we can someday look back at this time and remember more than just the tough times, because man has it been hard. 

It's one thing to be quarantined. 

It's another to be working from home doing a job that is meant to be inside the walls of the hospital.

It's another to be sharing WiFi and work space with 3 kids and your husband.  

It's another to be teaching kindergarten. 

All this with no end in sight. 

This. Is. Hard. 

Our WiFi can't keep up with the demand. After spending an hour on hold, only to argue with the tech lady about internet speeds, I gave up. 

But a download speed of less than 1 when it should hoover 40-100 is just not cutting it. 

I can constantly be heard yelling: "One device!" which means everyone gets to browse on only one device at a time. 

None of this multi-tasking business. 

I really wish Lincoln's requirements included only these academic goals. 

Because we've mastered them ten times over.

 But using the Seesaw app, and all of the apps within apps has my head spinning most days. 

Core classes, specialists, optional versus required. 

Twenty-two assignments in his inbox, all of which need us to sit beside him and ensure he understands what to do (because half the time we can't find the instructions buried within a link to the left, a click to the right). 

This. Is. Hard. 

This picture below is how Lincoln feels about Distant Learning. 

He hates it.
Every single second. 

Each morning, we beg and bribe for him to start the learning and stay on task. 

But learning off his iPad is boring to him. 

And because we are working full-time demanding jobs, we don't have time to allow for 15 minute transitions, more begging and another 10 minutes of transition. 

Sometimes we tag team: one starts and the other helps him finish. 

On a good day, he wraps it up in an hour or two. 

Other days (like today), we're still trying to get to the assignments at 5pm. 

I thank my lucky stars that the girls have done such a wonderful job at starting and completing their learning each day. 

This. Is. Hard. 

I saw this from a friend today. 

And I have to remind myself to do the best we can.

Let go of some of the pressure (on all of us).   

Tonight when we snuggled into bed, and he grabbed a book eager to read to me, I realized that learning doesn't have to happen on a Seesaw app or a link provided by the school. Those connections, those snuggles, the gaining confidence to read under flashlight are what I hope he remembers from these hard times. 

Taking a deep breath, and we'll try again tomorrow.